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The Daily OrangeNot eating before a big night out might be common for some students, but for others, it's the epidemic of drunkorexia
By Katie Papo
Posted: 4/3/08, 11:43 PM EST Section: News
It's not a new phenomenon, but it has a new name.
Drunkorexia, according to a New York Times article released March 2, is shorthand for "a disturbing blend of behaviors: self-imposed starvation or bingeing and purging, combined with alcohol abuse."
"It's a vicious cycle," said Dessa Bergen-Cico, health and wellness professor at Syracuse University. "It often comes down to a whole host of other, more complicated issues. One is looking at the complex aspect of why people feel so pressured to obtain a certain body type or a need for acceptance."
Though drunkorexia is not an official medical term, it is a studied food-related illness that is a variation of anorexia and bulimia.
"I know that researchers are looking at the co-occurrence of disordered eating and problematic drinking," said Christina Sanchez, a doctoral student at Duke University, who is studying drunkorexia for her dissertation.
"The two behaviors have been shown to occur within the same person, lead to worse drinking outcomes and may stem from similar sources of anxiety, impulsivity and emotion regulation," she said in an e-mail interview.
Bergen-Cico said drunkorexia mostly affects women by restricting their eating so they can get drunk easier and to compensate for the calories taken in from alcohol.
"You respond quicker to alcohol on an empty stomach," she said.
She also said drunkorexics may also perform excessive exercise to compensate for the drinks.
"They also engage in somewhat bulimic-type behavior, by making themselves vomit to get rid of the calories," Bergen-Cico said. "Or they drink to the point to vomit and lose the calories that way."
However, drunkorexia also affects men.
Sanchez said recent research has found if you include binge eating and bulimia spectrum disorders, the co-occurrence of binge drinking and binge eating is equally likely amongst both genders.
She also said it seems the phenomenon is more common among college-aged young adults.
Drunkorexia, according to a New York Times article released March 2, is shorthand for "a disturbing blend of behaviors: self-imposed starvation or bingeing and purging, combined with alcohol abuse."
"It's a vicious cycle," said Dessa Bergen-Cico, health and wellness professor at Syracuse University. "It often comes down to a whole host of other, more complicated issues. One is looking at the complex aspect of why people feel so pressured to obtain a certain body type or a need for acceptance."
Though drunkorexia is not an official medical term, it is a studied food-related illness that is a variation of anorexia and bulimia.
"I know that researchers are looking at the co-occurrence of disordered eating and problematic drinking," said Christina Sanchez, a doctoral student at Duke University, who is studying drunkorexia for her dissertation.
"The two behaviors have been shown to occur within the same person, lead to worse drinking outcomes and may stem from similar sources of anxiety, impulsivity and emotion regulation," she said in an e-mail interview.
Bergen-Cico said drunkorexia mostly affects women by restricting their eating so they can get drunk easier and to compensate for the calories taken in from alcohol.
"You respond quicker to alcohol on an empty stomach," she said.
She also said drunkorexics may also perform excessive exercise to compensate for the drinks.
"They also engage in somewhat bulimic-type behavior, by making themselves vomit to get rid of the calories," Bergen-Cico said. "Or they drink to the point to vomit and lose the calories that way."
However, drunkorexia also affects men.
Sanchez said recent research has found if you include binge eating and bulimia spectrum disorders, the co-occurrence of binge drinking and binge eating is equally likely amongst both genders.
She also said it seems the phenomenon is more common among college-aged young adults.
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CEDBlog
posted 4/08/08 @ 11:47 AM EST
There has been a recent onslaught of "-orexia" terms that aim to define behaviors associated with eating disorders. More of a cultural phenomenon than medical term, these "-orexia" words don't diagnose or treat an eating disorder, but they have brought to light issues that may otherwise be overlooked. (Continued…)
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